UFC Vegas 115 promises serious fireworks in terms of its lineup. But before the event takes place at the Apex this weekend, it has already faced a major setback. During the weigh-ins, three fighters missed the mark on the scale, inviting punishment from Dana White and Co.
Darrius Flowers, Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev, and Rafael Estevam missed weight ahead of fight night.
At first, the UFC Vegas 115 weigh-ins went smoothly until Flowers stepped on the scale. After he came in over the lightweight limit, ‘Beast Mode’ attempted a second weigh-in using the privacy box, but the effort proved futile as he registered 156.5 pounds, half a pound over the non-title fight limit. On the other hand, his opponent, Lando Vannata, successfully made weight 156 lbs.
In all fairness, Flowers does not have much history of missing weight, which made the situation surprising for fans. However, Estevam drew even more concern as he once again failed to hit the mark. The Brazilian weighed in at 136.5 pounds, missing the bantamweight limit by 0.5 pounds, marking his third weight miss in the UFC.
For context, Estevam failed to make the 126-pound limit for his UFC debut, coming in two pounds over (128 pounds) against Charles Johnson in 2023. Then the following year, he missed weight by four pounds (130 pounds) for his bout against Felipe Bunes. Following those misses, the UFC ended the undefeated fighter’s run at flyweight. Yet, he repeated the issue in a higher weight class, which makes it even more unexpected. That said, his opponent, Ethyn Ewing, successfully hit the scale at 135.5 pounds.
Lastly, Yakhyaev missed the light heavyweight limit of 206 pounds by one pound, weighing in at 207 pounds against Brendson Ribeiro, who came in at 205.5 pounds. This was also the first time the Turkish weighed heavier than the limit in pro-MMA bouts.
With three fighters missing weight at UFC Vegas 115, the promotion has yet to confirm the exact purse penalties. However, the fines will most likely fall in the standard 20% to 25% range.
